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FBI agents arrested Patrick Cannon last week on charges of public corruption, theft, bribery, wire fraud and extortion. The Democratic former City Council member resigned as Charlotte's mayor following the allegation that he traded access to planning, zoning and permitting officials in exchange for money and gifts.

If you were a security guard at a government building, would a briefcase stuffed with $20,000 in cash raise an eyebrow?

Would that cause you to stop the owner of the bag and inquire further? It’s not illegal to possess bundles of paper money, per se, but it might prompt a question or two. Maybe warrant at least a mention to your supervisor, perhaps. Of note: The law requires a financial institution to report to authorities any cash deposit over $10,000.

According to an affidavit signed by Eric Davis, special agent for the FBI, a leather Fossil briefcase containing $20,000 in cash was handed to former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon at his office in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center.

Cannon and the undercover agent had a conversation about the disposition of the briefcase that day they met in the mayor's office, according to the court filing. The affidavit says they discussed whether it should be left in the office because the agent, posing as a real estate investor, might have been seen by city staffers as he walked into the building with the bag.

The government center, located at Davidson and Fourth streets uptown, has security guards at its entrances with metal detectors. Visitors are directed to empty their pockets as a guard opens and looks through any bags brought into the building.

The mayor’s office, as noted in the FBI affidavit, is “further restricted.”

Cannon and the undercover agent spoke of meeting at a spot near the Charlotte Douglas International Airport to make the money swap, the FBI's affidavit in the case states.

“I just got to be conscious about that kind of stuff here, you know,” Cannon whispered, according to the documents.

In the end, Cannon had the undercover agent leave the bag and “say that he accidentally left the briefcase if anyone asked about it.”

So, did a security guard see the briefcase full of cash?

City spokesman Keith Richardson confirmed with me Monday via email that all bags belonging to visitors are searched at the government center.

Security is handled by an outside contractor, he says.

But he declined to answer to other questions, including whether anyone is allowed to enter the building without being searched.

“For the safety of CMGC employees and visitors, I don’t want to speculate on ways you can elude our security measures,” he responded.

It’s not clear whether a guard said anything to a supervisor, or if the undercover agent was able to slip past security.

”At this point, there are too many unknown details to initiate any review, but as we continue to cooperate with the investigation, if we discover any gaps we will address them,” Richardson said.

Susan Stabley covers growth, the environment and residential real estate for the Charlotte Business Journal.

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